Life-boat-launching apparatus.



C. A. MORRILL. LIFE BOAT LAUNCHING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED 11.27. 1914.

1 1 21 1 18, Patented Dec. 15. 1914.

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C. A. MDRRILL. LIFE BOAT LAUNCHING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED APR.27. 1914.

Patented Dec. 15, 1914.

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0. A. MORRILL.

LIFE BOAT LAUNCHING APPARATUS. APPLIOATION FILED APR.27.1914.

1,121,;1 16. Patented Dec. 15, 1914.

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CHARLES A. IMORRILL, OF PORTSMOUTH, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

LIFE-'BOAT-LAUNCHING' ATE 'PARATUS. 1

Specification of Letters Patent;

Patented Dec. 15,1914:

Application filed April 27, 1914. Serial No. 834,701.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Crmunns A. MonuiLL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Portsmouth, in the county of Rockingham and State of New Hampshire, haye invented a new and. useful Improvement in Life-Boat-Launching Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to life-boat launching-apparatus and its object is to improve and simplify the construction of apparatus of this kind, whereby life-boats may be quickly and safely lowered from the deck of a vessel, in the manner hereinafter set forth. l

An illustrative embodiment of my inven tion is shown in the drawings which accompany'and form a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is an end elevation, section taken on the line 2-2 and Fig. 3 is a plan View- In the particular drawings selected for more fully disclosing my invention, 1 represents the deck of a vessel, from which rises a pair of standards 2, 2, spaced a distance apart slightly greater than the length of the lifeboat and having the horizontal shaft 3 journaled therein near their upper ends. Keyed to the shaft near each of the standards are pulleys 1, 4, and pivoted to said standards near their lower ends are the davits 5, 5, to the outer ends of which are attached pulleys 6, 6. One end of the shaft 8 projects beyond one of the standards and to this end of the shaft is keyed or otherwise secured a pulley 7. Rising from the deck is a standard 10, to the upper end of which is journaled a winch comprising a pulley S and handle 9. Means preferably are provided for braking said winch, such means comprising in the present instance the brake-shoe 12 provided with an operating lever 11 and cooperating with the disk 13 secured to the axle of the winch. To the lever is slidably attached a locking-pin 1 L, normally pressed by the spring 16 into engagement with the rack 15. It will be understood, however, that any other suitable braking device may be used to limit the speed of the winch and to hold the same in its fixed position.

Fig. 2 is a of Fig. 3,

A suitable connectingmember, such as the rope 20, is passed around the pulley of the winch, and one end is secured thereto whlle the other end passes around and 1s secured to the pulley 7. The ropes 21, 21, or other suitable connecting members, pass around the pulleys at, 41-, one end of each of' said ropes being secured to its pulley and the other end after passing around a pulley (3 is secured to the life-boat To facilitate the loading of the boat, a swinging platform 30, preferably having its outer edge curved to conform to the shape of the boat, is connected to the edge of the deck by the hinges 31, 31, or other suitable means, and is connected to the davitsby' the links 32, 32, so that by the raising and lowering of said davits the platform will assume the positions shown in Figs. 1 and 2 respectively.

I do not limit myself to the particular means whereby the platform is arranged to be operated by the movement of the davits, inasmuch as various constructions may be used for this purpose without departing from the principle of my invention.

A stop member 33, attached to the deck midway between the hinges, preferably is employed to limit the upward movement of the platform.

The operation is as follows: The normal position of the apparatus is shown in Fig. 1, the bottom of the life-boat resting on and being supported by the upturned outer edge of the swinging platform, the parts being locked in position by the braking mechanism. To lower the boat, the brake is unlocked and the boat allowed to descend by its own weight to the position shown in Fig. 2, the upper edge of the boat being practically on a level with the deck of the vessel and the swinging platform being interposed between the deck and the boat, so that passengers can more readily enter the latter. After the boat is loaded, the brake is again released, thereby permittingthe boat to descend by its own weight to the water, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2. It will be understood of course that by means of a rope, not shown, attached to the braking device, the speed of descent of the boat may be governed by a person in the boat. In order to raise the boat to its normal position, the winch is operated until the boat assumes the position shown in Fig. 2, whereupon further operation of the winch will elevate the davits to the position shown in Fig. 1, the davits by means of the link 32 elevating the platform 30 until the boat assumes the position shown in Fig. 1 with itsbottom resting on the curved outer edge of the platform, whereupon the parts may be locked in position by the brake.

Having thus described one illustrative embodiment of my invention, without, how

having their inner ends pivoted to said standards respectively, a platform hingedly connected to the deck, links pivotally connecting said platform to said davits respectively, a shaft journaled in said standards, life-boat suspending means secured to said shaft and passing'over the ends of said davits, and a winch for rotating said shaft.

3. Life-boat launching-apparatus comprising in combination a platform hingedly connected to the ships deck, the outer edge of said platform'being curved to conform to the shape of the life-boat, pivoteddavits,

and ineansconnecting said pl'atform with said davits, p

4. Life-boat 'launching apparatus comprising in combinationa platform hingedly connected to the 'ships deck, the outer edge ofaidplatform' being curved to conform.

to the shape of the life-boat, said platform being, arranged to "form a lateral extension of the deck when thelife-boat is in loading position, davits, and meansfconnecting said platform to said'davits, whereby when said davits and'pl'atform are in elevated posi 7 tion, the platform constitutes a support for the life-boat. a v

5. Life-boat launching-apparatus comprising in combinationipivoted davits, :a'

swinging platform, vmeans connecting said" davitsand platform, said; platform being arranged to-forma lateral extension of the deck when the boat is in loading position,"

ofsaid means.

In testimony whereoffl have hereunto"; subscribedmy namethis 24th day of'April',

' CHARLES A. MORRILL.

Witnesses: I

ALBERT R..HATCH, GRACE N. CANNEY..

. Copies of thi s patentmay be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

- Washington, D. 0. i

1 means for swinging said davits about their; pivots and a brake governingrthe operation 

